“Incredible, Romuen’s walls really are made of glass,” Theo said to his driver. Even from a distance, he couldn’t help but gape at the sheer complexity of the enchantments adorning the gleaming constructs.

He stood up to get a better look. “I’d heard that the City of Adventurers spared no expense in its construction but wow. Hearing is one thing, seeing is certainly another.”

He fell back into his seat after the wagon rolled over a bump.

The wagon driver pivoted his head and glared at him. “Careful back there, Theo. I’ve never had someone fall out of my wagon and I’m not having you be the first.”

Theo shrunk back in his seat and nodded meekly at the balding older man. “I’m sorry, Philos.”

They approached the city gate to find a human family crowding the guard. Theo reached for his coin purse, counting out the entrance fee.

“There’s never been an entrance fee for citizens before! My family needs to get home!” the father said, tearing at his short-cropped, pale blue hair and muttering to himself.

Concerned, Theo turned around to face the father, his family, and the guard. He took a moment to steel himself before clearing his throat. “Excuse me, what’s the issue here?”

“There’s a new entrance fee for citizens. This man here doesn’t want to pay up,” the guard said to Theo, crossing his arms.

“That’s because there has never been an entrance fee! I came in yesterday without issue!” the man replied, face red with anger.

Theo raised a finger, decidedly ignoring the slight shake. “If I may interject, when I was reading about Romuen, I did note that there is no fee for citizens.”

The guard’s glare turned on Theo. “Well, the policy changed.”

He shrunk back. “Oh, okay. I think I’ll cover this family’s fee then, if that’s okay?”

This caused the guard’s eyebrow to quirk up in surprise. “You. Pay for them?”

Theo picked at the leather of his coin purse. “Um, if that’s alright?”

“You can’t do that for us, sir!” the wife interjected.

“Please, I insist. I can afford this much at least - I’m moving here you see. How about in exchange you tell some people that my shop is opening soon? It’s called Runes and Brews. It’ll be in the western shopping district, I believe. I’ll be opening within a few days’ time.”

“We don’t have our coin purses on us, so we’d be hard-pressed to pay otherwise. I’ll make sure to tell everyone I know of your shop, thank you. I don’t know how to express it better. If we see you again, we’ll pay you back!” the wife said, her eyes watery.

“It’s no problem,” Theo said, waving a hand. “I’m sure I’ll make it back. I’ll just consider this to be an advertisement fee.” He smiled at the family, receiving a nod from the father.

They entered the city together after Theo handed the guards the coins. He once again gazed up at the walls, his mind spinning. Complex geometric shapes shone brightly on the surface and within, lit by the light of the sun passing through the walls. Each enchantment intimidated him with a complexity beyond anything he’d ever managed.

Through the glass walls, Theo observed countless people going about their business on the stone-paved streets.

The family followed him alongside the wagon for a moment.

“Thank you… uh,” the husband trailed off.

“Oh- um.” He took a moment to clear his throat. “Theo, Theo Lukien. Enchanter and alchemist by trade,” he said, bowing slightly, if with some difficulty in the wagon.

The wife returned his gesture. “Theo, what a nice name. I’m Elouise. This is my husband, Kennard, and my two sons Girial and Willum. We’re the Terrent family. Funny enough, we’re alchemical gatherers!”

It was Theo’s turn to quirk an eyebrow. “Really now? I don’t suppose we could set up a supply contract?”

“Unfortunately, no. We... work for Pelles Relicor in the eastern shopping district. All supplies go directly to him.”

Theo questioned the pause mentally but decided against bringing it up. “Oh, what a shame. Regardless, thank you for being willing to let people know about my business.”

“No problem. And, I’m sorry you had to pay for us. Those damn guards are making things up. There’s no entrance fee for citizens,” Kennard grumbled.

“It was no problem, as I said, having a few people talk about my business should help give it a boost,” Theo said.

“We’ll make sure to do that,” Elouise said, nodding to him.

Kennard adjusted the bag on his back. “We have to get going, but I assure you, Theo, I’ll be telling all of my friends at the pub about your shop. I know an adventurer or two who could use a good alchemist.”

Theo colored at that. “I’m not that good, but… do tell them that I also make enchanted adventurer tools. I specialize in elemental enchantments.” He side-eyed Kennard, hope in his gaze.

The man smiled at Theo. “I can do that. Welcome to Romuen!”

The family waved him off and walked toward what Theo assumed was the residential district.

“Where to?” Philos questioned him.

“My contact should be around here somewhere…” Theo bit his lip, glancing around. It took a moment, but he spotted the man in question. Human, tall, brassy hair, pale skin, and yellow eyes that pierced through you - Frevan Lolorm, a long time family friend.

He tried, and failed, to simultaneously wave while not bringing attention to himself. Fortunately, he caught Frevan’s gaze quick enough. He walked over as Theo hopped down from the wagon and they shook hands.

“Hello, Frevan! It’s good to see you. My apologies for the late arrival. You see there were these-”

The man waved a hand. “Nonsense, don’t worry about it. Your parents sent a letter in advance. My schedule is already clear for the day and I’ve hired the golems for you with the advanced payment you sent.”

“You got golems? Good, I didn’t want to unload all this myself. Hop in, both of you,” Philos said, indicating both of them to jump on.

“We can discuss the details on the ride then?” Theo began to walk back to the wagon.

“Of course. You first.” Frevan gestured for Theo to go. After Theo pulled himself up onto the wagon, Frevan loaded the golems into the wagon then hopped up himself. Two golems sat next to them, both made from a mix of pale brown clay and grey stone. Not particularly expensive moving golems, but they weren’t cheap for Theo to hire regardless.

Once both settled into the wagon, Frevan gave Philos instructions and turned back to Theo. “So, how are Heva and Trals?”

Theo smiled at Frevan. “Mom and dad are doing great. Business is going well.”

Frevan jabbed him lightly in the side. “That’s good to hear. You too big for Renwurd now?”

Theo felt his ears grow hot. “No, no, not at all! I’ve just always dreamed of coming here. I don’t have it in me to be an adventurer, but I can certainly supply them.”

Frevan laughed at that. “Probably the better choice anyway. You’re an Infuser, clearly, but what was your secondary again?”

“Primordial, why?” Theo asked, tilting his head.

“Primary Infuser, secondary Primordial isn’t exactly the best combination of attunements for an adventurer. Not impossible, but your magic doesn’t have much in the way of combat applications.”

“Fair. The strongest Primordial Named Spell I know with a combat inclination is Stun Bolt. Mom made me learn it for self-defense,” Theo said.

“Never a bad thing to be able to defend yourself. Regardless, we should talk business. You’re going to be on 3rd Street in the trading district. Fifth building down.”

Theo lifted his chin, fixing his assessing gaze on the homes they passed by. The sturdy buildings gave credence to the reputation of Romuen, built from mixes of local pine and mountainous granite with plentiful windows. Glass windows. All but a stray few had slatted rooves, shaped to open and close on a hinge. Good. That was very good. That’d be perfect for his craft.

Noticing his lapse of attention, Theo nodded to the man. “3rd Street, fifth building down. Got it. The architecture here is splendid. Plenty of sunlight access. Will my shop be the same?”

Frevan nodded to him. “Of course. I checked the slats on the building myself. Should be airtight provided you fully lock it. Wouldn’t want your stock ruined by rain.”

Theo frowned at the prospect. “No, that would be unfortunate to say the least.”

At last, they arrived in front of what would be Theo’s new home and shop. It was similar in style to the rest of the houses he had observed in the city thus far, but bigger.

Theo fawned over the size. He hadn’t expected it to be this large! All of the shops in the trading district were. If he had to guess, it was at least four times as long as he was tall, maybe more. “This is just perfect. Absolutely perfect. The rent is already covered for the first month, correct?”

“Indeed. You can expect a visit from your landlord in a few days time to check if you’re having any issues,” Frevan said, jumping down from the wagon and offloading the two golems.

Theo smiled, watching the golems’ eye holes light up yellow. “Perfect. Thank you so much for organizing all of this, Frevan.”

The man mirrored Theo’s expression. “Anything for a Lukien. I’ve known your parents for longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Regardless, I appreciate it,” Theo said, following Frevan and hopping off the wagon. While the golems removed crates and furniture from the wagon, Theo walked over to the driver.

“Thank you so much for the trip, Philos. I appreciate you making such a long trip,” Theo said with a smile, pulling out his coin purse once more. He counted out the fee for the trip as well as a fairly generous tip. Who would have known they’d encounter braskravens on the trip?

Philos nodded to him, grinning at the tip. “My pleasure, Theo. Your parents are good people. I have family here in Romuen, anyway. I’ll surprise them with a visit.”

“I’m sure they’ll love that,” Theo said. His eyes widened when he looked back at the wagon. All of his supplies and furniture were already unloaded. “Goodness, those golems are quick. Thank you once again, Philos.”

“You’re very welcome. Oh, and don’t let the big city get to your head, Theo. Your parents told me to say that,” Philos said with a laugh.

Theo felt his face redden. “Of course they did. Anyway, goodbye, Philos. Safe travels on your journey back.”

“Thank you, Theo. Good luck with the shop. I’m sure you’ll make your parents proud,” he said, smiling with his own pride. They shook hands and Theo waved him off.

Theo turned back to see Frevan and the golems waiting for him. “Ah, my apologies, I kept you waiting. Frevan, do you have the keys?”

“Three copies as requested,” Frevan said, handing them over to Theo.

“Thank you. Shall we?” Theo said, gesturing to the building that would soon be his shop and home. They approached the double doors together. Theo turned the key, and his smile widened upon taking in the front room.

Wide, open, spacious floors sprawled out across the room, perfect for setting up shelves. The shop window even had a wide enough sill for Theo to set up displays on. A counter sat on the opposite side of the room from the window - dense, dark wood that contrasted with the light pine used in the building’s construction.

However, Theo noted one issue across the entire shop, which was especially egregious on the curved display counter in front of him. Dust. This shop hadn’t been occupied in some time. To his knowledge, a general store occupied this space before him.

“Oh my, this place is dusty, isn’t it? Well, I have just the spell for this,” Theo said, tugging on his mana pool. “Broomgust.”

Runic layouts ran through Theo’s mind as he activated his Named Spell, aligning within his mana pool. He felt his Primordial attunement shift his mana. Light, windy energy coursed through him, gathering up dust around the room while solid, sturdy earthen mana pulled dirt in the same manner.

Theo walked around the room, channeling the spell. Within a minute, a clean room sat before him, a pile of dirt and dust sitting at his feet. “I’ll be just one moment, Frevan. I believe my actual broom and dustpan is outside,” he said, heading out the door.

He came back seconds later and swept up the pile, dumping it outside.

“Useful spell you have there,” Frevan said while Theo moved over to the window.

He soaked in the sunlight, feeling a stream of ambient mana flow from the earth into his mana pool. “It is. A room this size was fairly costly though. That drained my pool a bit more than that spell typically does...”

“Regardless, makes me wish that one of my attunements was Primordial. Phrenic and Integral are nice, but they’re not as practical,” Frevan said, grimacing out the window.

“They helped you build up your stardust collecting business, isn’t that worth something?” Theo asked, turning as his back became too hot under his vest in the sun.

“Some wouldn’t have such a positive outlook on my manipulations, Theo,” Frevan said with a frown.

The sun felt a great deal hotter as Theo realized the implications of Frevan’s magic use. “Ah. I see,” Theo said, clearing his throat. “Anyway, I- hey! Be careful with that crate, those bottles are fragile.”

Theo walked toward the golem that had roughly set down his crate of potion bottles. It turned to stare at him, and he stopped in his tracks. “Um, please?”

He stepped back an inch at a time into the sun to keep restoring his spent mana while the golems offloaded supplies and brought furniture into the appropriate rooms of the house. They encountered trouble getting through the hinged counter and into the house portion of the building, so Frevan went to assist them. Theo found moral support to be his only role at this point.

“Theo, I’m not sure your bed frame will fit through this door, I’m going to need to find a Fundamentalist to shrink it down. Don’t worry, I know someone, it shouldn’t cost you anything. How about you go down to the Adventurer’s Guild and advertise your shop while I get this sorted? Just hand me a key so I can lock up while I’m gone,” Frevan said, holding a hand out for a key.

“Oh. Are you sure you can’t just… twist it a little?” Theo asked, feeling his back start to become damp with perspiration at Frevan’s suggestion to advertise.

The man raised a brow. “...We attempted that. You brought fliers, didn’t you?”

Theo shifted his weight from foot to foot, tapping his fingers together. “Well, yes, but I thought I’d just… post them somewhere.”

Frevan gave him a sad smile. “You and I both know you can’t just do that, Theo. The Adventurer’s Guild isn’t too far from here. Here, just follow…” Frevan gave him directions, which were easy enough due to the numbered system for streets in each district.

And he was out the door after handing Frevan a key. Theo inhaled deeply, attempting to calm his nerves as he followed street signs to 1st Street in the district for guilds, inns, and restaurants.

Apparently, he’d passed the guild on the way into the city. The Adventurer’s Guild for lower ranks was positioned right near the gates for ease of access to adventurers coming back from missions.

He stood off to the side and watched various adventurers walk in and out of the imposing stone building. He paced back and forth, working up the courage to go in as the minutes slipped by. Lines long-rehearsed became hard to grasp in the moment he needed them.

Running a hand through his wavy, short, orange-red hair, Theo made sure it was curling upward in the front the way he liked it. With one final, deep breath, he steeled himself and marched up the steps.

The guild was filled with what one would expect of an adventurer’s guild. Men and women in armor, leathers, or robes sat at tables, walked around, or talked to the receptionists at the front desk.

This guild wasn’t only filled with humans, however. Theo spotted several fulvitre. He glanced their way, hoping to not draw attention to himself. He admired their smooth, slender, glass bodies. The vibrant colors of various glasses mixed together made them living pieces of art.

Someone bumped into Theo from behind and he yelped. He’d been standing in the doorway!

“Oh, goodness, my apologies,” He said while turning around, spotting a perren behind him. Large orange petals stuck out of the perren’s smooth, green-skinned head.

“No apologies needed. It was I who was not looking. We hue-kin need to stick together,” the flower man said with a deep, booming voice, only increasing Theo’s anxiety.

“Hue-kin?” Theo said before he realized his hair color. “Ah, right, my hair. Yes, well, if you’ll excuse me…” Theo scuttled away from the doorway to stand against a wall and people-watch for a few more minutes while his heart rate slowed.

He didn’t see any starborn in the room, but he did see a single chosen. At least he assumed as much, he tried not to stare too hard but he’d never seen one before. The teal-skinned woman was talking to what must be her party. A large, brown turtle shell covered her back.

Leaning against her table was a warhammer, likely iron from the dull gleam. Theo averted his gaze as the chosen adventurer turned around.

Finally, he stepped over to the receptionist, a human with long pink hair and violet eyes. “Um, excuse me, I’m a shopkeeper that just moved here. I plan to specialize in products for adventurers - I’m an alchemist and enchanter, you see - and I was hoping perhaps I could advertise my services somehow?”

The receptionist stared at Theo as he tripped over his words. She dully scanned him up and down. “Sure. Hey, everyone! This guy’s got something to say!” the receptionist called out across the room, grabbing most people’s attention.

Theo froze in place as all eyes turned on him. The desire to curl up and disappear hounded him, but Theo turned and addressed everyone.

“Um, hello. I am Theo Lukien, an alchemist and enchanter. I-I just moved here from Renwurd to open my shop, Runes and Brews. It’ll be on 5th Street house number thr- wait no, 3rd Street, house number five,” Theo said, fumbling his words as he felt an uncomfortable number of areas on his body become damp with sweat.

A few people had already turned away during his spiel, but Theo gulped once and continued. “I h-have uh, fliers, for my shop. I’m offering a first-purchase discount on potions or enchanted tools if you have one of them.”

This grabbed their attention. Heads turned back around, which only furthered Theo’s nerves. “I truly support to be able to wish you all- I mean, wish to support you all the best I can. I’m open to custom requests and even altering ingredients in my potion if anyone has sensitivities.”

After receiving a few polite nods, he turned to the receptionist. “I-is there um, somewhere I can leave these fliers?”

“Sure thing. The table over there,” she said, pointing across the room.

Theo bowed to the room slightly. “Thank you for your time. Um, I’ll just… leave these fliers over here,” he said and walked over to the table on the opposite side of the room, feeling all eyes bore into him. He set down the stack of fliers and began to leave the guild.

“Wait. Did you say custom requests? How expensive are they? That’s usually an inner-wall shop thing,” an adventurer said, a human woman with short teal hair.

Theo’s throat felt full of cotton at this point. He cleared his throat. “Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to mark up the price that much-”

“Really? You sure?” she asked, stepping closer with interest. Closer than he was comfortable with.

“Of course not. I’ll be charging for the materials and labor, that’s it. I’m going to make the potions anyway, why not specialize?”

More people seemed interested now. Quite a few adventurers stood up to grab one of Theo’s fliers. Apparently, he found out from one adventurer, most shopkeepers just sell general stocks or have considerable markup on custom requests. Too set in their formulas to want to bother with new recipes, Theo supposed.

He answered questions relating to his products and pricing for quite some time before excusing himself. After he left the building, Theo pumped his arm in the air, before feeling heat gather at his ears again when a few people stared.

Success! Good job, Theo, you only mildly embarrassed yourself. Hopefully, that will drum up some business. I’ll just need to unpack quickly when I get home.

He walked home, only stopping to buy a kebab from a fulvitre’s food cart when his stomach growled. His heart felt light, and he was proud of himself for following through with Frevan’s suggestion.

He arrived back at his shop, taking the steps two at a time - somewhat of a challenge for his short legs. A note lay on the counter.

Theo,

I finished up with the golems. All your furniture is set up, you’ll just need to unpack the crates. I didn’t want to break anything so your alchemy and enchanting equipment is still unassembled as well.

With regards,

Frevan Lolorm

Pleased that he had come home with no complications, Theo let out a breath. “I think I’m going to like it here.”